


Tricky Business

by Lazchan



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 12:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6470170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazchan/pseuds/Lazchan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A giftfic for fallenwithstyle from Tumblr; a happy birthday to you, who wanted time travel shenanigans. XD Blushy blushy Kija comes in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tricky Business

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EHyde](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHyde/gifts).



Kija wanted to turn around and run, but he was frozen to the spot at seeing the king in front of him. _This isn't possible, this isn't possible. He feels like the Princess, but he's not the princess and this is all wrong and what am I doing here?_

 

"It seems that I shall get to see my future dragons," Hiryuu said lightly, an amused smile on his face as he held out a hand to Kija. "And some that are not even my dragons. You're so different from my cute little Hakuryuu, but you feel much of the same."

 

Kija stared and his entire body flushed with the shock of it all and he wondered how it had became all so overwhelming again, when he had mostly gotten used to Yona's presence? It wasn't that Hiryuu was more imposing in the feel of how Kija's blood reacted. It was something else altogether, a presence that quietly whispered _he was too recently a god and it shows in every gesture he makes._

 

"What do you m… mean?" he stuttered. "Seeing… seeing your future dragons?" Hiryuu laughed and grabbed the hand that Kija hadn't quite held out yet, being in such a state of shock as he was. "Have others made their way here?"

 

"Mmm… not so much as my dragons; I do believe you are the first of those to show up. There was an amazing fighter that spent a few days with us and a lovely lad that made friends with Zeno quite easily." Kija could only listen as Hiryuu described Hak and Yun; had they already gone by this point and hadn't said anything… was it yet to happen in Kija's time?

 

Kija blanked out for a moment and then turned to Hiryuu, realizing that he had asked him a question. "Pardon?"

 

Hiryuu laughed and seemed to lead him down lesser-visible paths. "I asked if you knew why my cute little dragons were still around. I know that Zeno still … still will be alive, many years later—but I had not expected to see different versions of my dragons as well. Has the blood passed along for all this time?"

 

"I.. uh… it's…." he couldn't lie to Hiryuu any easier than lying to Yona. "It's… there have been…" He didn't want to say how many generations of Hakuryuu there were. He didn't want to admit that he was from far, far in the future, either. What if he changed something?

 

"I do know something of what is going on," Hiryuu reminded him gently. "I spoke with Yun and with Hak, but they were not very forthcoming, but they did answer some of my questions. I know that they come from thousands of years past this time. Is it the same with you?"

 

"Yes," Kija whispered, bowing deeply in front of Hiryuu. "My name is Kija; as my father was before me. We have kept the dragon blood alive for centuries on end, knowing that you would return one day." He smiled a little as he lifted his head. "Which I am proud to say, you have."

 

"Oh?" Hiryuu looked pleased at that, pausing in front of what was a humble temple and it strongly reminded Kija of the temple in his village. "I've heard something of this; am I really a cute girl?" He grinned widely.

 

Kija's entire body flushed with the shock of the question. "I don't—I can't—I don't think of… of the princess that way at all!" He almost shouted the words and backed away, waving his hands in front of his face. "She's.. she's my master and.. " he realized he was babbling this to the previous version of his master and gulped. "I wouldn't ever disturb the sanctity of our bond that way."

 

"How disappointing!" Hiryuu looked genuinely dismayed. "I had hoped that my dragons would always be close to me. Am I that distant in the future?"

 

Kija shook his head quickly. "No! No, the princess is very friendly with everyone and… and – she is always kind to us and I—I just want…" He didn’t _just_ want to be her servant anymore, but it brought him the greatest joy to serve her. He loved being her friend and her companion and treasured the family she had created.

 

Hiryuu laughed and patted his head, trying to still the flow of words. "I think I understand a little, even if you are being cuter about it than my dragons. I can't imagine Guen blushing like you do!" He laughed even louder and Kija hung his head. He was making a fool out of himself in front of the former incarnation of his master. "I should tell him."

 

"Pl.. please—I…"  Kija stared down at the ground. "Is it.. allowed to see the …your guards?" he asked tentatively, trying not to let his hope show. It had been his dream for so long, to be able to talk to those that served Hiryuu directly. His wish had gotten indirectly answered with Zeno, but—to talk to the first of the Hakuryuu, the one that established his village and kept the memory of Hiryuu alive for generations…

 

Hiryuu frowned a little and shook his head. "I don't know if that is wise. The others that visited were not my dragons and they would know immediately that something is strange, if they haven’t realized it already. There would be questions and would you be able to answer them honestly?" he asked.

 

"Why is it fine to give you answers?" Kija asked with a frown. "You already seem to know a great deal already…" He would scold Hak and Yun later for telling the king so much; what if history had been changed?

 

"Simple; I know I will not live to see the next generation, while my dragons will." Hiryuu's voice was completely matter of fact. "I know my limits on the earth and how long humans have to live. My dragons… I know part of their gift is that they will have long lives, so that they will always be there to protect me."

 

"…long lives?" His voice was strained as he thought of the countless generations of Hakuryuu, Seiryuu and Ryokuryuu that had short lives, burning out so quickly. Dying before their dream of meeting their king was realized and he knew that _this_ was something that he could kept from the king. "That's amazing! I'm so happy that … that you'll always have them."

 

_And that we may always have Princess Yona…_

 

Hiryuu's hand tipped up his face. "I love all my dragons," he said seriously, "and I cannot imagine it would be any different for a new incarnation of myself. I love them and even though they are my guards, to have them put themselves in extreme danger to save myself is something I do not wish to have happen."

 

"Even if that is our purpose?" Kija asked, trembling with his inability to articulate his thoughts on the matter. It was one thing for Hiryuu to say such a thing, but Kija's entire existence had been to be by Hiryuu's side and protect him.

 

"Your purpose is not to throw your lives away in lieu of mine; never betray does not mean to die for me. I would be most sad if my dragons died in my place. I am a human man, Kija and in the future, I suppose I am a simple human girl." Kija nodded slowly and Hiryuu gave him that bright smile that was so reminiscent of Yona's that his heart stuttered. "So please, live fully for my sake and hers."

 

Kija couldn't look away, couldn't pull away from that smile and he bit his lip, giving a slow nod. Yona would cry, he knew—Yona who declared from the start that there was nothing of being their master, of talking how if they wanted, they could live for themselves. Of how she worried when they were sick, how she trained so that she would not always be shielded the ones she loved.

 

"I promise," Kija whispered. What else could he say?

 

"Good," Hiryuu beamed at him again before pulling his hands away and started walking again. "I take it since you know my Zeno, you know his ability, hm?"

 

"Y… yeah—it's…." Kija paled as he remembered the demonstration Zeno gave in order to save all of their lives and then he looked at Hiryuu and saw the solemn expression on his face. "Ah—I think I understand a little more," he said softly. Zeno's ability to be a shield was something he would have wanted to use over and over to the king and brothers he loved.

 

For Hiryuu to see Zeno 'die' over and over again, it would hurt him deeply and so of course… "You never told him," he said softly. "No wonder he never told any of us until it was the last resort." It had to have caused Zeno terrible pain once he found out, but Hiryuu had saved him more pain in letting him be more than just a shield for others.

 

"No," Hiryuu said softly. "I would also like to keep it that way. Like I have said, my dragons are more than just my guards; they are my friends. Tell me, Kija… are you all as close to your princess as I am to my dragons? Barring the fact you can't get over she's a cute girl," he teased.

 

"She…she is very casual with all of us," Kija said slowly, trying explain himself without blushing. "She has asked us to call her by her name; she doesn't even use the dragon titles with us at all." He watched the surrounding area as he talked to distract himself, not watching the space in front of him at all.

 

"Mm… not like that, but that is good to hear." Hiryuu seemed to know the path so well that he wasn't worried walking backwards. "I think that just using the title and not the name of a person tends to make it more difficult. You are more than just the position you hold, after all."

 

_Lord Hakuryuu…. Hakuryuu…_  Kija thought about he had never heard his name growing up; it was only with Yona that he remembered and Yona that insisted that he was Kija before Hakuryuu. He wouldn't admit it to Granny or the village elders, who wouldn't be able to take it all in, but he rather liked how Yona treated them all.

 

They stopped in front of another shrine and it took Kija a moment to realize this one was slightly different and then he stared. He'd only seen the temple dedicated to Hakuryuu and the statues that Seiryuu had in that ill-fated village. This was an actual shrine to the other dragon gods as well.

 

"I think my priests put these here as little jokes," Hiryuu laughed. "There is the big temple inside of course, but these temples are the spots that they first realized that my cute little guards would become my cute little dragons." He shook his head at that sort of folly. "I think they just wanted to make it more important in their eyes.  I knew them from the start."

 

Kija lay a hand over the temple, expression sad. There were so few temples; Yun had said that many of them had been destroyed and not so long ago. These temples that Hiryuu clearly cared for, even with his teasing words, were probably gone as well.

 

"Enough of that, though—" Hiryuu laughed. "So serious—you look always so serious as well, even if you get flustered so easily. My future self must have been half in love with you from the start." He gave him an impish grin. "I bet I can tell you what she said when she first saw you, since she's me." He leaned closer. "She probably remarked upon your beauty."

 

Kija gave him an open-mouthed stare at that and started waving his hands, not in denial that Hiryuu guessed the truth of it, but the truth of Yona's statement. "No—I mean, yes, she said that, but—but she's much more—you're much more—"

 

Hiryuu's smile grew more brilliant. "Are you saying I'm beautiful?" he teased. "I usually give that sort of compliment to my Abi, but he doesn’t blush as much as you do. He usually hits me and calls me an idiot king."

 

Before Kija could respond with an indignant response at Hiryuu being called an idiot, Hiryuu pushed Kija's disheveled hair back into some sort of order. "I think my future self was entirely correct," he said, quite matter of fact. "You are quite beautiful."

 

Kija's next words were cut off with the gentle kiss that Hiryuu pressed to his lips. When he pulled away, Hiryuu looked peaceful. "My future self is quite lucky," he teased.

 

Kija stared at him, putting a hand to his lips. To his own profound shock, he wasn't _bothered_ by it all. A little stunned, but… he felt oddly more relaxed than he had before and he felt that he could breathe a little easier.

 

"Ah—just like my cute little dragons," Hiryuu kept a gentle hand on his face. "I told that friend of yours how I would comfort my dragons and it seems that it works still. Do you not do this with the one you guard?"

 

"No," Kija continued to stare at him. "I… not with the Princess.. she—she's…" he flushed and looked away. "I wouldn't even know where to begin with that and couldn't presume."  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 

"I care for the princess very much but she…."

 

"What about the princess, white snake?" Kija's eyes shot open and he stepped backwards to get away from Hak, who should _not_ be there, it should have been Hiryuu and what had changed all of a sudden?

 

"Where did you come from?" Kija demanded, craning his head around him. "Where did Hiryuu go?"

 

Hak's expression went still for a moment and then he covered his mouth to hide a laugh. "You too, hm? We should start our own little group at this point."

 

"What about our group, Hak?" Yona came up and smiled brightly at the two of them and Kija paled a little, remembering what he had just been doing with Hiryuu and where his thoughts had gone. When Yona gave Hak a teasing kiss on the cheek, he remembered all too clearly how affectionate she had been with the members of their group recently.

 

"Oh, nothing, princess." Hak smirked at Kija. "Kija was just thinking that he should be in the group next time we decide to play truth and consequences. I'm sure he would have a great deal more fun this time."

 

Kija sputtered and tried to protest, but Yona gave Kija a sweet kiss on the cheek and beamed. "Oh—I think we'd have a lot of fun with everyone," she said lightly, but there was mischief in her eyes and a blush on her cheeks as she recalled how the other sessions ended up.

 

Kija could only wonder if it would be just as calming getting a kiss from Yona as it was Hiryuu and found himself nodding.

 

"I … I look forward to it, Princess."


End file.
